My dear little cat - oh so sweet

Funny how ours paths would meet

I needed a purry to dry my tears

You needed a friend to calm your fears.

She named you Holly - but that wasn't right

Was there a name to describe your fright?

There's no place like home a girl said in Oz

Auntie Em I thought after such a short pause.

Your pale blue eyes like a summers sky

With a little pink nose and fur like a bunny

A beautiful purry and oh such a honey.

A tiny wee treasure, truly a pleasure.

Emma, I wish I could hold you

And stroke your soft bunny fur

And hear your sweet gentle purr,

Just one more time.

Thank you, into my life you came

For such a short time is just a shame

Without you, ThreePurrs isn't the same

I miss you Angel Bunny.

January 23,1998
Emma's Story

It grieves me to write this as her time with us was so short - although I am very thankful that our paths crossed.

Two years ago my beloved Zeba crossed over Rainbow Bridge after sharing 18 years with us.. she was two when we got her, as was Emma..

My family would tell you I'm a "softie", and that is true as I dearly love and truly consider my purries my purrkids. Before Zeba left for the Bridge I had promised myself I would never adopt another cat as saying goodbye is so painful.

However when I found myself living without a feline it just didn't feel right - such an empty feeling. Back in 1971 I read about the Ragdoll in Cat Fancy Magazine.. it was then that I decided someday I would adopt a Ragdoll... so shortly after Zeba went to the Rainbow Bridge I found myself on a quest.. I found a breeder close to where my sister lives near Toronto and sent a down payment for a kitten which was due to be born in two weeks time.. while still feeling empty, I was like an expectant Mother again.. as soon as the due date arrived I called the breeder to see if my kitten was born.. although I wasn't expecting what transpired - I learned that there weren't enough kittens to match the deposits, but the woman had a retired breeder who was EXACTLY like my Zeba.. and the breeder had been keeping her eyes open for the perfect home!! Uuumm, I was slightly disappointed as I was hoping for a kitten, but delighted to find a two year old who needed a home with me as much as I needed her.

It was just before Christmas in 1995 and my sister Linda and son Jason were driving home for the holiday.. so I asked them to make a detour (in the opposite direction) and pick up this little cat. I was truly shocked when we opened the carrier - this tiny thin timid little cat scurried out .. and ran upstairs under the first bed she could find. She was terrified.. but I expected within a day or two she would join the family.. not so. She stayed up there hiding for two months.. I used to go and lie on the floor and talk softly to her.. once or twice she came out from under the bed to visit with me. Her little body would tremble in fear, while at the same time I could see she wanted to trust me. I called the breeder and asked what was wrong with this little cat.. she seemed terrified of people.... the breeder said she couldn't believe it as Em was fine when she lived there! Right!! Shortly after she arrived her eyes started running.. and she sneezed constantly.. a trip to the vets for medication eased the eye problem but the sneezing never stopped.. it seemed to be a fear thing as eventually her sneezes only happened when she was frightened.

During this time I called several people asking if they thought another kitten would be helpful to Em.. since Em had just had kittens before I adopted her I felt a baby would comfort her and adopted Maya. It was something she really needed as it seemed to help her cope with a new house.. she thought Maya was her baby and they instantly became friends.. the only bad thing was that Emma's fear was making Maya nervous too... so now I had two scardey cats!! Over time Emma came to trust me and would come out at night and sit on the sofa with me.. she was desperate for affection and gave it back ten fold.

I had no plans for a third - it truly just happened.. I saw this big huge cat on a web site and called Julia's Dreamdolls .. she happened to have a female needing a home.. so I said "send" her.. all the while thinking how am I going to tell John .. he will accuse me of going overboard with Ragdolls.. hey I have an addictive personality :) We adopted Jessica - a wacky, bossy, self-centered love bug from California... Emma disliked her on sight.. she would growl or bat Jessica anytime she even walked past Emma. That was fine when Jessica was a baby, but as Jessica grew she decided to defend herself.. then got a bit carried away by stalking Emma and bopping her every chance she got.. :( Em was really scared of Jessica and would spend all her time by me.. beside me on the sofa, sleeping by my head on the bed, sitting on the desk.. and getting carried around so Jessica wouldn't pick on her..

In the summer time I thought Emma was losing weight - but attributed it to the personality conflict between Em & Jessica. Emma had awful teeth and I had her to the vets to have them cleaned in late October - I think she may have lost a few ounces but I didn't think anything of it. .. at Christmas time Linda mentioned she thought Em was much thinner then when she'd seen her in October.. I tried not to think about it because I feared I'd have to part with Em or Jessica.. a decision I could never make.. Emma was really attached to me and had finally put her trust in me - I have fallen in love with this sweet timid girl.. and Jessica, well, she's the funniest love bug and I couldn't imagine giving her up either.

Recently we had a terrible ice storm and a lady (Carol of the Potter Kittiez) I'd met through the Back Fence Cat Club was without power and I invited her to stay with us. Carol and I were discussing the Em/Jessica problem and I mentioned how I thought Emma was losing weight.. Carol commented how thin Emma was. I was alarmed at her words so called the vet that morning and made an appointment. Since having her teeth cleaned in October we found she'd lost 2 1/2 lbs .. something was seriously wrong. The vet took urine and blood samples (which had to go to Toronto for the results).. the wait seemed endless. On Friday morning Dr.Armstrong called and tried as gently as possible to tell me Emma had advanced kidney disease and there was little they could do. In some cases kidney disease is treatable, but there was nothing they could do - perhaps keep her going a few days. I just couldn't believe my ears.. she was only 4!! I've had several wonderful purries and just thought I'd have Emma for at least 15 years.. and now I was faced with a trip to the vets for a final goodbye. It was a snowy, icy, cold miserable day .. somehow the day matched how I felt inside.. numb and miserable.

I still can't believe she's gone - a sweet gentle soul. Emma joined Zeba and other beloved furries on Rainbow Bridge on January 23rd, 1998.

It's very hard to lose a pet, but it's especially hard when they are so young. However, because of her timid personality I've adopted two beautiful felines and met some wonderful people on the net. I consider my cyberfriends to be "Emma Blessings".. I miss her terribly and life is not the same without my sweet Emma.
Note: I was pretty naive when I adopted Em - one should check out a breeder and visit the cattery if possible. Although I have no proof, I believe Em was not part of their family - but a dear little cat who was used to make babies.. when they realized she wasn't a good breeding machine.. they dumped her.. although her time with us was all too short - she was greatly loved - which is what she deserved.

Friendship is a not tied with angels wings!
With each encounter, no matter how brief, we all leave something behind.

Happier Times

Shortly after we put ThreePurrs on the net last March the purries found the Back Fence Cat Club... they went to parties and met lots of purry friends. Emma met the most wonderful purr "Leo" of Leo's loft.. he became her dear wink wink.. they went to Chez Fungus for fabulous dinners, danced til dawn at Club parties.. and Leo even sent her a chipmunk to play with .. I know Leo will miss Em as much as I do.. there is a sweet memorial at Leo's Loft A special place when they spent watching birds and basking in the sun.. Thank you gentle purrs Leo.

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